All-Century Team

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Display at the Hall of Fame

In 1999, the Major League Baseball All-Century Team was selected. An expert panel compiled a list of the 100 players since the turn-of-the-century and fans voted for the greatest players. The top two players from each infield position, the top nine outfielders, and the top six pitchers were placed on the team. There were some notable omissions, and a Blue Ribbon committee added five players who did not garner enough initial votes.

The players were presented in a ceremony, emceed by Ford Frick Award broadcaster Vin Scully, at Turner Field before Game 2 of the 1999 World Series. Every living player named to the team attended the ceremony.

Team Selection[edit]

Pitchers

Catchers

First Basemen

Second Basemen

Third Basemen

Shortstops

Outfielders

There was a controversy over the inclusion of Pete Rose, who had been banned from baseball for life ten years earlier. Many questioned Rose's presence on a team officially endorsed by Major League Baseball. Fans at the stadium during the introduction of the team were supportive, giving him a standing ovation. An aggressive and negative post-ceremony interview by NBC Sports' Jim Gray resulted in further public sympathy for the disgraced Rose.

Four then-active players made the roster: Roger Clemens, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mark McGwire. However since 1999, Griffey's and McGwire's selections have become more disputable. At the time of his induction, Griffey was 29 years old, in his prime, and appeared headed towards all-time stardom. In recent years, Griffey's ascent was subsequently derailed by a series of injuries; missed around 370 games (over two seasons) from 2001 to 2005. McGwire's accomplishments were fresh in public memory, having broken Roger Maris' single-season home run record in the previous season. However, McGwire has since become entangled in the ongoing steroids controversy, and some now question the validity of his career numbers.

Some fans were unhappy that no Latino players had been elected, in particular Roberto Clemente, who had finished 10th among outfielders, just missing the cut. In 2005, the MLB announced its Latino Legends Team. No Negro League stars were chosen for the team; Satchel Paige, 9th among the voting for pitchers, received the most support.

Ballot with Vote Totals[edit]

Position Rank Player Votes
Catcher 1 Johnny Bench 1,010,403
2 Yogi Berra 704,208
3 Carlton Fisk 322,384
4 Roy Campanella 247,909
5 Josh Gibson 233,288
6 Mickey Cochrane 75,344
7 Bill Dickey 74,295
8 Gabby Hartnett 24,198
First Baseman 1 Lou Gehrig 1,207,992
2 Mark McGwire 517,181
3 Jimmie Foxx 351,488
4 Harmon Killebrew 185,622
5 Eddie Murray 161,564
6 Hank Greenberg 114,317
7 Willie McCovey 106,717
8 George Sisler 28,378
9 Buck Leonard 20,091
10 Bill Terry 12,976
Second Baseman 1 Jackie Robinson 788,116
2 Rogers Hornsby 630,761
3 Joe Morgan 608,660
4 Rod Carew 430,267
5 Nap Lajoie 90,402
6 Eddie Collins 58,836
7 Charlie Gehringer 45,663
8 Frankie Frisch 27,527
Third Baseman 1 Mike Schmidt 855,654
2 Brooks Robinson 761,700
3 George Brett 656,511
4 Eddie Mathews 174,529
5 Paul Molitor 160,271
6 Pie Traynor 96,699
Shortstop 1 Cal Ripken, Jr. 669,033
2 Ernie Banks 598,168
3 Ozzie Smith 589,025
4 Honus Wagner 526,740
5 Robin Yount 134,655
6 Luis Aparicio 129,328
7 Luke Appling 28,877
8 Joe Cronin 27,789
Outfielder 1 Babe Ruth 1,158,044
2 Hank Aaron 1,156,782
3 Ted Williams 1,125,583
4 Willie Mays 1,115,896
5 Joe DiMaggio 1,054,423
6 Mickey Mantle 988,168
7 Ty Cobb 777,056
8 Ken Griffey, Jr. 645,389
9 Pete Rose 629,742
10 Roberto Clemente 582,937
11 Stan Musial 571,279
12 Joe Jackson 326,415
13 Reggie Jackson 296,039
14 Tony Gwynn 232,476
15 Carl Yastrzemski 222,082
16 Frank Robinson 220,226
17 Rickey Henderson 180,940
18 Barry Bonds 173,279
19 Lou Brock 131,361
20 Billy Williams 97,911
21 Tris Speaker 84,461
22 Willie Stargell 71,585
23 Al Kaline 67,719
24 Duke Snider 63,410
25 Cool Papa Bell 59,189
26 Mel Ott 51,748
27 Ralph Kiner 32,302
28 Al Simmons 15,930
29 Paul Waner 15,057
30 Oscar Charleston 13,893
31 Joe Medwick 11,238
32 Willie Keeler 10,553
33 Goose Goslin 9,475
34 Harry Heilmann 9,415
Pitcher 1 Nolan Ryan 992,040
2 Sandy Koufax 970,434
3 Cy Young 867,523
4 Roger Clemens 601,244
5 Bob Gibson 582,031
6 Walter Johnson 479,279
7 Greg Maddux 431,751
8 Steve Carlton 405,365
9 Satchel Paige 399,657
10 Warren Spahn 337,215
11 Tom Seaver 330,219
12 Whitey Ford 253,120
13 Bob Feller 252,115
14 Christy Mathewson 249,747
15 Jim Palmer 158,266
16 Pete Alexander 151,255
17 Dennis Eckersley 143,710
18 Lefty Grove 142,169
19 Dizzy Dean 130,389
20 Juan Marichal 122,366
21 Rollie Fingers 106,416
22 Carl Hubbell 54,618
23 Mordecai Brown 31,432
24 Robin Roberts 23,366
25 Eddie Plank 13,195
26 Ed Walsh 12,687

External Links[edit]